Star Wars: The Acolyte
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The Acolyte
Production information
Format
Episode count
No. of seasons
Run time
(329 minutes)(total)Attribution information
Creator(s)
Writer(s)
Executive producer(s)
Starring
Music by
Chronological information
- "Leslye Headland, Emmy-nominated creator of the mind-bending seriesRussian Doll, is a boldly innovative filmmaker bringing her newStar Wars series to Disney+.The Acolyte is a mystery thriller that will take us into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark Side powers in the final days of the High Republic era."
- ―President Kathleen Kennedy announces the series during Disney Investor Day 2020[11]
The Acolyte is aStar Wars television series developed byLeslye Headland forDisney+. Headland wrote, executive produced, and served as the series' showrunner. It takes place a century before the events ofStar Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace, and focuses on the emergence ofdark side powers in the finaldays of theHigh Republic Era.The Acolyte premiered onJune 4,2024, concluded its first season onJuly 16, 2024, and was reported as canceled onAugust 19, 2024, which was later confirmed by Disney executives. In spite of that ending, details have emerged that the series was intended to run for several seasons.
Official description[]
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.[5]
Development[]
Conception and announcements[]
- "I think you see more morally ambiguous characters than you've seen in other Star Wars content. And I think I can say this pretty confidently: I don't think you're going to see action in other shows the way that you see it used and utilized in our show. I just thought it was very interesting to do a show about the bad guys and to set that during that period made the most sense, so I think that's what sets it apart. It's kind of almost flipped. We have more Jedi than you've seen in any other of the Star Wars content. I can say this pretty confidently, I don't think you're going to see action in other shows the way that you see it utilized in our show."
- ―Leslye Headland[12]
The cover to the original pitch deck Leslye Headland used when pitching the series to Lucasfilm in 2019, with imagery created by artist Inga Headland
Leslye Headland, having served as co-creator for the2019Russian Doll television series, in her words "essentially cold-calledLucasfilm"[13] in 2019[14] and pitched what would becomeThe Acolyte as a cross betweenDisney's2013 filmFrozen andQuentin Tarantino's2003 filmKill Bill.[13] For the initial pitch to Lucasfilm, Headland worked with her sisterInga Headland to design apitch deck of imagery paired with story details for the presentation, the cover of which featured a woman in dark clothing cloaked in fog, with the title "Acolyte" displayed above.[14] The series' main characters ofVerosha "Osha" Aniseya andMae-ho "Mae" Aniseya were inspired by Headland's relationship with her youngest sister, and Lucasfilm's PresidentKathleen Kennedy told Headland to fashion herStar Wars story akin to her "incredibly emotional" playCult of Love about siblinghood. Kennedy responded to Headland's early scripts in 2019: "You've written a greatStar Wars show. Now go write a Leslye Headland show."[13]
OnApril 22,2020,Variety reported that Leslye Headland was writing and serving as showrunner for aStar Wars series that would be released on theDisney+ streaming platform. The report noted that the series will be female-centric and take place in a new part of theStar Wars timeline.[15] An official announcement onMay 4, 2020 onStarWars.com added that Headland will be an executive producer on the project.[2] The series's title, logo, and general premise were revealed at a Disney investors' meeting onDecember 10, 2020.[16] Lucasfilm's website also listed vice president of film developmentRayne Roberts as co-developing the series with Headland.[17]
Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and director Leslye Headland
Following a conversation between directorKogonada and actressJodie Turner-Smith at the premiere of their filmAfter Yang at theCannes Film Festival in July2021, Kogonada offered Turner-Smith the role of MotherAniseya.[18] According to aMarch 7,2023, court filing obtained byDeadline,[19] with the filing alleging that Executive Producer Karyn McCarthy had been fired fromThe Acolyte after only two weeks of work on the project, Lucasfilm's business plans andThe Acolyte's story arc as ofApril 7,2022, called for several seasons. The filing further claims that a heavily guarded Series Overview for those multiple seasons existed by that time, as did a Season One Bible.[20] OnJuly 22, 2022,Amandla Stenberg announced alongside theStar Wars account onInstagram that she has been cast in the series.[7] OnNovember 7, 2022, StarWars.com announced that the series began production in theUnited Kingdom and revealed several additional cast members.[5] In July 2023, Headland gave a statement on the show's tone and characters, promising a morally grey look into theStar Wars universe and unique action.[12]
Inspiration and filming[]
- "She's like an orchestra director. She has an eye on everything very calmly from above, navigating with such kindness and grace. And because she's such a passionate, creative person, she has such love for every single craft on set. She was always so excited and she had so much respect for everyone. And that's really rare."
"I love somebody who's unafraid to live in who they are and their energy unapologetically. Most people in the world are attracted to that kind of freedom." - ―Dafne Keen and Charlie Barnett, on Leslye Headland's direction[21]
Literary andStar Wars influences[]
Leslye Headland drew from storytelling in both theStar Wars Legends continuity, such as its 1990s roleplaying games as part of what was then known as the "Expanded Universe" beyond the stories ofStar Wars creatorGeorge Lucas, and the ongoingStar Wars: The High Republic multimedia project that was launched by Lucasfilm Publishing in 2021. The concept of an acolyte, after which the series is titled, was taken from the Legends continuity; aSith Acolyte refers to an individual being trained for the position of aSith's formalapprentice. Headland includedVernestra Rwoh, who was introduced as aJediPadawan learner inJustina Ireland's 2021 novelA Test of Courage, set during the golden age of theGalactic Republic'sdemocracy and theJedi Order in theHigh Republic Era in232 BBY.The Acolyte is set a hundred years afterward and stars Rwoh as aJedi Master. The series is also set a hundred years beforeGeorge Lucas'prequel trilogy.[22]
Headland thought aboutJedi MastersMace Windu andYoda's remarks about the relative dormancy of thedark side of the Force in the1999 prequel film,Star Wars: Episode IThe Phantom Menace, asking who would have been practicing the dark side in the century leading up to theSith's return and the rise of theGalactic Empire, as shown in2002'sStar Wars: Episode IIAttack of the Clones and2005'sStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith. Headland also compares the time of the High Republic in whichThe Acolyte is set to the isolationist tendencies of theUnited States post-World War I, particularly in terms of the decay of the High Republic to the time of theprequel trilogy, whenDarth Sidious infiltrated theGalactic Senate.[22]
In terms of spirituality inStar Wars, Headland felt that the concept of the Force as explained by Yoda inThe Empire Strikes Back strongly resonated with her, as compared to "even" theEnglish authorJ.R.R. Tolkien, whoseThe Lord of the Rings fantasy was published in the1950s, or her ownCatholic upbringing.[22] The fantasy aspect ofthe galaxy far, far away also prompted her to compare it to the realm ofNarnia created byC. S. Lewis, a contemporary of Tolkien's. Headland had a tattoo printed on her right hand after Lucasfilm hired her forThe Acolyte, serving as a reminder ofStar Wars to herself while making the series—the tattoo showsRalph McQuarrie's concept illustration ofPrincessLeia Organa for Lucas'original trilogy, released between1977 and1983.[23]
Cinematic influences[]
Hong Kong Chinese martial arts and Japanese samurai cinema[]
Headland also drew inspiration from her favorite martial arts films. TheHong KongShaw Brothers Studio filmCome Drink with Me—directed byKing Hu, set in theMing era (1368—1644), and released in1966 under theChinese title 大醉俠—features a sequence at an inn that forms the basis of theLomi Usqi Noodle Shop at the opening ofThe Acolyte's first episode, "Lost / Found."[24] The fight sequence there between Jedi MasterIndara and the assassinMae also pays homage to the martial arts choreography ofCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a2000Ang Lee film titled in Chinese as 臥虎藏龍.[25]
Aside fromChinese martial arts films, known as "mouhap" inCantonese and "wuxia" inMandarin, Headland was also inspired by theJapanese samurai filmYojimbo, directed byAkira Kurosawa and released under theJapanese title 用心棒 in 1961.[23] She explained thatStar Wars: The Mandalorian producerJon Favreau had mentioned that George Lucas had been influenced by Kurosawa's filmmaking andWestern films, and Headland herself based her cinematic influences more strongly on martial arts films such as Shaw Brothers and King Hu productions—namingCome Drink with Me alongside King Hu's 1971 filmA Touch of Zen, in Chinese titled 俠女—that are "less global and galactic," with deeply personal missions in which the warriors felt "wronged" and had to "make it right."[22] As a mystery thriller,The Acolyte was influenced by Kurosawa's filmRashomon, released in1950 under the Japanese title 羅生門, for its use of differing interpretations of the same events.[23] CinematographerChris Teague additionally cited the 1973Toshiya Fujita filmLady Snowblood, a period drama titled 修羅雪姫 in Japanese, as an inspiration forThe Acolyte's camerawork.[26]
Character inspirations[]
Headland compared the story of Mae toFrozen andKill Bill, and the character was also inspired by the story ofAhsoka Tano in theStar Wars: The Clone Wars television series' 2013 episode "The Wrong Jedi" and the dynamic betweenQi'ra andMaul at the end of the 2016 filmSolo: A Star Wars Story.[27] Amandla Stenberg wrote about the motivations and inner lives of Osha and Mae,[18] with separate binders for each twin to inform her approach as a performer and differentiating the characters.[28] Indara was inspired by the characterTrinity fromthe Wachowskis'The Matrix film franchise (1999—2021), played byCarrie-Anne Moss, who Headland also cast as Master Indara.[29] For the first episode, "Lost / Found," Headland described the character's demeanor as both relaxed and controlled; a mix of Lucas' Skywalker saga Jedi characterObi-Wan Kenobi and the character O-Ren Ishii fromKill Bill.[30]
Mae's accomplice,Qimir, is played byManny Jacinto as a scoundrel archetype based onJohnny Depp's performance ofJack Sparrow in thePirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–2017). Jacinto also compared Qimir's movements to thesilent film works byBuster Keaton andCharlie Chaplin in the early 20th century.[31] Jacinto appreciated the duality of his character as a dream role for an actor, being able to emphasize the comic qualities of Qimir and then the stillness of the Stranger.[32]
The fourth and fifth episodes, respectively titled "Day" and "Night," were partly inspired by twoHollywood science fiction films:Ridley Scott's1979Alien andJohn McTiernan's1987Predator.[33] Given his dual role as the Stranger, Jacinto was additionally inspired byToshiro Mifune's performance as the warrior Kikushiyo in 1954'sSeven Samurai, a Kurosawa film named 七人の侍 in Japanese, andJackie Chan's performance as the martial artistWong Fei-hung in theHong Kong filmDrunken Master, released as 醉拳 in1978.[34]
Production design[]
- "If you look at periods of extended peace in history, you have things like the Renaissance, where art, design, architecture, and clothing are allowed to flourish because the money, resources, and creativity are available to make beautiful things. So, that was part of the design ethos that Kevin took onboard, as well as the costume design. The costumes, the lightsabers, even to some extent the ships, feel less brutal and more designed and finessed. The Jedi's robes have more gold and are more regal. There are more curves and flowing lines in the ships."
- ―Visual effects supervisor Julian Foddy[35]
Brendok's mountain retreat was inspired by the 1947 British filmBlack Narcissus byMichael Powell and Emeric Pressburger—set at a nuns' mountain retreat in theIndianHimalayas—coupled with theHoover Dam in the United States.[26] For Coruscant and its Jedi Temple, production designerKevin Jenkins and visual effects supervisorJulian Foddy decided aligning moreso with the prequel trilogy's establishing shots than the ground-level perspective shown in the 2022 television seriesStar Wars: Andor, but with distinctive aesthetics echoing the 1971William Friedkin filmThe French Connection and 1970sNew York City: in particular, a desaturated and photorealistic "retro" atmosphere of haziness.[36]
Jenkins heeded George Lucas' 1977 filmStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope's lived-in aesthetic, stating that the core ofStar Wars isStanley Kubrick's 1968 film2001: A Space Odyssey "with dirt"—he learned from the designs ofA New Hope production crewJohn Barry,Norman Reynolds, and Ralph McQuarrie while cinematographer Chris Teague used anamorphic lenses forThe Acolyte, with film grain being added to the footage. Jenkins also likened Headland's episodic structure to the cliffhanger-based approach of theFlash Gordon serials, and further compared the High Republic Era to the height of theRoman Empire, incorporating vivid colors inThe Acolyte's production design while maintaining a uniformity of Jedi designs previously shown inThe High Republic publishing initiative.[26] Jenkins said Olega's city was "essentiallyCasablanca in space" with its blue and red color palette,[37] while StarWars.com stated it was inspired byMarrakesh, another city inMorocco.[38]
Costume designerJennifer Bryan researchedTrisha Biggar's prequel trilogy costumes at theLucasfilm Archives atSkywalker Ranch, which particularly informed the clothing of the High Republic Era Jedi along with existing designs, such as High Republic Jedi symbols, from the multimedia project. The color palette of Osha's civilian clothing was informed by the era of theVietnam War that preceded George Lucas' original trilogy and theStar Wars design principle of greeblies and badges. Another distinctiveStar Wars fashion staple, the poncho, was also incorporated in civilian clothing featured in later episodes. Bryan further took inspiration from warrior cultures fromAsia Minor,East Africa,North Africa, and the Roman andByzantine Empires: "It needs to look like it's put together from these different historical eras of warriors, but not specific to any one culture." Mae's assassin attire in particular was informed by samurai elements. Bryan also thought that Jodie Turner-Smith's elegance complemented the design made for Mother Aniseya, whileYord Fandar's fastidiousness and "lustrous drape" called for fabrics slightly different from those used on other Jedi costumes, with his more appearance-conscious attitude reflected in a cloak informed by Roman senators'togas.[39]
The production gave special thanks to the historic Lucasfilm Archives at Skywalker Ranch and George Lucas' newLucas Museum of Narrative Art.[9] Leslye Headland emphasized using practical techniques in her direction of the production design, cinematography, and visual effects.[36]
Filming in Madeira, Wales, and England[]
- "What was really interesting about Wales, especially Southern Wales, is that it had a very raw sort of feeling to it. What also gravitated us to the area was the location of the landing of the [Jedi starship]Polan, which became our anchor base. Just behind us in that same valley was this old 18th century dam, this massive black stone brick wall. And nearby was this wonderful forest where the whole floor was a bed of moss growing up the trees that I thought could be where the girls are first introduced. So with the moss forest, the valley vistas and this dam that's singing out to be used, Wales just seemed to tick all the boxes."
- ―Kevin Jenkins[37]
Filming began in Europe's autumn in 2022 and lasted until May of 2023.[36] Filming was largely done on location onPortugal'sMadeira archipelago off the coast ofAfrica and in and around the mountainous forest of theBannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons) inWales. Interior scenes were shot atShinfield Studios inBerkshire,England.[37] Shooting also took place at the woods of Berkshire'sEnglefield Estate.[40] Manny Jacinto prepared for his role as Qimir in the relative seclusion of the nearby town ofWindsor.[34]Sur Film provided production services in Portugal.[9]
The crew initially used Madeira for the planetKhofar's jungles, but they made use of other parts of the archipelago for scenes set onOlega,Ueda, and[26]Bal'demnic[41] as well.[26] Khofar's forest perimeter was shot at Pico do Arieiro and digitally inserted to shots of the Fanal Forest and Poço das Casas. The interior of the jungles was filmed at Shinfield Studios, with practical "mega trees" occupying the soundstage and even some of its stage doors. A short scene of Ueda was shot at Ponta de São Lourenço for its "brown, dusty Western" aesthetic, and the establishing shot of Olega was shot at Pedra D'Eira. Olega's city scenes were shot in Shinfield Studios. The exterior island shots of[37] Bal'demnic[41] were captured along the northern coastline of western Madeira, and the mouth of Stranger's cave is located at Ribeira de Janela. "Fifteen minutes down the road," the crew found the Porto Moniz Rockpools and shot the Stranger's bathing scene there.[37]
A dead oak tree in southern Wales is dressed in yellow willow-like branches.
An empty lot and several fields near theTrago Mills department store inMerthyr Tydfil were used forThe Acolyte's production in Wales.[42] The series introduces the planet Brendok, with all of its exterior scenes being shot in Southern Wales—aside from the campfire scene, shot at England'sPinewood Studios inIver Heath,Buckinghamshire. The crew filmed in the mossy Taf Fechan forest, a dead oak tree in the Cadlan Woods that was decorated for the yellow willow-likebunta tree, and the drained Upper Neuadd Reservoir of Bannau Brycheiniog. The Upper Neuadd Dam served as the exterior of the Brendokwitch coven'smountain retreat. The dam informed the design of the retreat, and its interior scenes were shot at Shinfield Studios.[37]
The series was shot with cameras andARRI ALFA lenses supplied by ARRI Rental.[9]
Post-production in London, Canada, India, Austria, Australia, and California[]
- "The musical themes inThe Acolyte are tied more to an emotion or a point of view or a literary theme than they are to a particular character."
- ―ComposerMichael Abels[43]
The series was edited byMiikka Leskinen andCheryl Potter withAvid editing equipment supplied by HireWorks. Sound services were provided bySkywalker Sound inMarin County, California, withBrian Chumney as the supervising sound editor.[9] Visual effects post-production was led byIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM), a Lucasfilm subsidiary, with its studios inLondon, England, andVancouver,Canada, extending through to the late end of winter in 2024. ILM's new office inMumbai,India, also contributed to the nearly 3000 shots made forThe Acolyte, marking one of its first completed works.[36] Additional visual effects were made byYannix andSDFX Studios,[9] as well as the London-basedOutpost Visual Effects and the Vancouver-basedbeloFX.[36] Visual effects were also partly produced inMelbourne,Australia,[9] withRising Sun Pictures of nearbyAdelaide and theLos Angeles–basedLuma Pictures having contributed too,[36] as didHybride ofUbisoft[9] inMontreal, Canada.[36]Proof Inc. additionally provided visualization services.[9]
Unlike previous productions centered at ILM's headquarters inSan Francisco, California, ILM London served as the visual effects post-production hub forThe Acolyte, led by production supervisor Julian Foddy. The visual effects crew worked closely with the creatures' department led byNeal Scanlan and editors Leskinen and Potter for the hybrid practical effects and computer graphics shots of theumbramoths.[35]
The score ofThe Acolyte was composed by Michael Abels with additional music byMiguel Bezanilla,Cameron Moody, andRobert Wallace. The score was recorded atSynchron Stage Vienna inAustria under the conductorGottfried Rabl.[9] Abels pointed out that the musical themes were emotion-based rather than character-based, taking the example of the "duality of the characters" Mae and Osha when they are vengeful or hopeful, with the same musical motifs occurring with different characters. Abels added that "You can tell I've had a lot of fun playing with how the Force is used and who uses it and what we think about whether that use of the Force is good or bad." While the score does not foreshadow or connect the music associated with Qimir with the Stranger, when the Stranger is revealed at the end of "Day," the music includes a nod toKylo Ren's theme. In keeping with the cinematic echo withRashomon, the two flashback episodes include scenes in which the visuals are the same yet the music is different to accentuate different emotional perspectives.[43]
Production finance[]
- "The Acolyte had many strong reviews and did well in the ratings its first week out, but you ultimately opted against a second season. Why didn't you move forward? And can you offer any hint as to howSkeleton Crew is doing, or its future?"
"So as it relates toAcolyte, we were happy with our performance, but it wasn't where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season two. So that's the reason why we didn't do that.Skeleton Crew is in process now, so we'll see. We've seen some growth on that. We’ll see how that goes. As you said, the reviews have been excellent onSkeleton Crew, so we'll have to see how that all plays out as it moves forward." - ―Interviewer Josef Adalian forVulture and Alan Bergman, co-chair of Disney Entertainment[44]
The Acolyte was produced with the support of the British Film Commission and the UK Government's High-End Television Tax Relief, the Canadian Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit, theProvince of British Columbia Production Service Tax Credit,Québec's Production Services Tax Credit, Portugal's Tourism and Cinema Fund, and the Australian Government's PDV Offset tax rebate. Visual effects production in Australia was also supported byVicScreen inVictoria and inSouth Australia with the support of theSouth Australian Film Corporation.[9]
While media outlets reported that the series' production cost was around $180 million inUS dollars,[13] Lucasfilm had registered a subsidiary high-end television program production company inEngland and Wales named Blue Stockings (UK). The company's publicly filed audit coveringMarch 24, 2021 toSeptember 24 2023, reports that "the cost was forecasted to be over the production budget" but are approved and fully funded by Lucasfilm as of September 24, 2024, with the production having been certified by theBritish Film Institute in the interim as "British,"[45] which would qualify the production forHM Revenue and Customstax credits[46] for the ultimate parent company, The Walt Disney Company. The report further indicates that UK television production expenditure between those dates totalled £172,320,864 inBritish pound sterling, equivalent to around $230 million US dollars. Based on the UK tax relief scheme, the same filing claims a total of £34,839,012 pounds of expenditure credits for the relevant periods—which would bring Blue Stockings' production cost down to £137,481,852 pounds, equivalent to just under $184 million US dollars.[45]
Deadline reported that Karyn McCarthy filed a lawsuit against Lucasfilm and its wholly owned subsidiary Blue Stockings (US) in March 2023 in California, alleging a breach of contract and other legal injuries over the role of executive producer forThe Acolyte in early 2022.[19]
Release and reception[]
Release and harassment[]
- "She put so much care and thought and love into that, and it's disappointing to feel like your studio is not having your back in a very public-facing way. They've got to stop doing this thing where they don't say anything when people are getting fucking dog-piled on the internet with racism and bullshit. It's just not fair to not say anything. It's really unfair. It would just be nice if the people that have all the money were showing their support and putting their feet down, say this is unacceptable: 'You're not a fan if you do this.' Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won't, because people of colour, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power. They might find that it's actually more lucrative for them, but everyone's using 'woke' like it's a dirty word. Opinions change. What's in vogue changes. We're gonna get there at some point, to that place where people stop having a stick up their arse about people of colour being a part of IPs that were created by white people. You know why? Because we're never going to fucking stop participating."
- ―Jodie Turner-Smith, criticizing Disney and Lucasfilm's passivity to targeted harassment of Amandla Stenberg[18]
Amandla Stenberg
In 2024, Lucasfilm released the series' teaser trailer online onMarch 18,[6] prior to releasing the final trailer on May 4 online[47] and in theaters.[13] Later on the20th of that month, Lucasfilm Online released a video of Amandla Stenberg playing a newStar Wars violin arrangement of "The Force Theme" that composerJohn Williams had written specifically for her,[48] with Stenberg proudly performing on her grandfather's violin.[28] Consisting of eight episodes,The Acolyte's first two episodes premiered several days later on Disney+ onJune 4, and the final episode was released onJuly 16.[13]
Racist and sexist online harassment targetedThe Acolyte's cast members[49] andreview-bombed the series on ranking websites.[50] OnJune 19, the date of "Juneteenth" commemorations of theend of slavery in the United States, Amandla Stenberg posted a music video onInstagram addressing the tired bigotry of discourse aroundThe Acolyte. She criticized the transformation of the term "woke" forculture war andclickbait purposes, including journalists who sacrifice "truth" for selective "metrics and data" that fuel division. Co-starsCharlie Barnett, Manny Jacinto, andDafne Keen commented in support of Stenberg.[51]
Amandla Stenberg performing the violin solo written for her by John Williams
OnAugust 19, 2024,Deadline first reported that the show had been "canceled" and would not have a second season,[52] andGizmodo published an updated report that Lucasfilm confirmed to the media outlet that there would not be a second season ofThe Acolyte and that it "had never been officially greenlit."[53]Twitter ownerElon Musk later reacted to the news on the social media platform to suggest that the series is "woke."[49]The Acolyte writerJen Richards criticized the Hollywood industry on Twitter onAugust 20 for its aversion to "risk" and studio monopolies that only care about immediate financial profits for shareholders rather than art and culture.John Boyega, who had playedFinn in thesequel trilogy and faced racist abuse for his role, acknowledged Amandla Stenberg on an old Instagram post of hers onAugust 21 amidst a flurry of hateful comments.[54]
In an article titled "Can the Best of Star Wars Survive the Worst of Its Fans?" onAugust 23, theRolling Stone reported that neither Lucasfilm nor Disney representatives have responded to their requests for comment on the series' discontinuation.[49] On the same day,Entertainment Weekly reported that Lee Jung-jae was "surprised" by the news and hoped that Disney would invite showrunner Leslye Headland to make a second season ofThe Acolyte,[55] and via Instagram's story feature, Rebecca Henderson reposted both the aforementionedRolling Stone article and a fan's tweet calling on "Disney" not to cater to a certain "part of the Star Wars fanbase."[50] Manny Jacinto simply posted one ofThe Acolyte's closing shots featuring himself as "the Stranger" and Amandla Stenberg as Osha Aniseya with a red heart emoji on Instagram.[54]Joonas Suotamo likewise posted an image of himself as Kelnacca with a red heart emoji on Instagram onAugust 24.[56]
Cancellation aftermath[]
- "I'm going to be transparent and say it’s not a huge shock for me. There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it. That's when we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us."
- ―Amandla Stenberg, on the cancellation ofThe Acolyte[57]
OnAugust 28, Stenberg spoke aboutThe Acolyte's cancelation via Instagram stories. The artist said it was "not a huge shock" for them given the "hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language" with which "the alt-right" targeted the series' creators such as herself—starting when the series was just announced in 2020 through the announcement of Stenberg's casting in 2022 to the series' release in 2024—though she also thanked "everybody who watched it" and appreciated the fans' support, artwork, and theories. They also spoke about how part of processing the vitriol meant being personally vocal in line with her own values despite working under Disney, and called her role inStar Wars "an incredible honor and dream" and gave high praise to Lucasfilm, the "vision" of producer Rayne Roberts, and showrunner Leslye Headland: "I will love this experience with her forever." As for the fans, Stenberg wanted to say that they are "deeply loved and appreciated, and it made this job all the worthwhile." Stenberg lastly expressed that "we all exist in the context in all which we live," calling on people to vote in the2024 United States elections and also referring to the "hyper divisiveness" of internet discourse aroundStar Wars that they found has been "driven by echo chambers of thought and algorithms that reinforce our biases," and she wanted to "challenge us all and challenge myself to continue questioning what it is that I digest and think critically about what shapes it."[57]
Nada Maktari'sThe Acolyte cover forEmpire
OnAugust 29,Ahmed Best, who had faced vicious abuse for his role asJar Jar Binks in theprequel trilogy, posted in solidarity with Amandla Stenberg on Instagram.[58] OnOctober 2, in an interview withGlamour magazine for its Women of the Year Awards, Jodie Turner-Smith praised Amandla Stenberg's dedication to her role and criticized the movie studios for being unsupportive of the actor even while racist abuse runs rampant online. Turner-Smith believed that making a statement against racist abuse would not incur damage to corporate revenue given that people of color, particularly Black people, "make up a very large percentage of buying power." She added that opinions and trends attacking people of color for taking part in intellectual properties started by white people, such asStar Wars, would eventually pass even though people such as herself "don't get to fail upwards like a lot of white men."[18]
In an interview withVanity Fair later in November, Lee Jung-jae said that he felt "hurt" and was especially sorry for Leslye Headland by the racist reactions toThe Acolyte, though he added that he has faith for racism to eventually end. Lee also expressed gratitude for the support of fans and had "strong hopes" for audiences to better appreciate the series as time goes by.[59] OnDecember 19, 2024, in an interview with Josef Adalian for theVulture news website, Alan Bergman, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, acknowledged in reply to a question about bothThe Acolyte and theStar Wars: Skeleton Crew television series that premiered earlier that month thatThe Acolyte was not renewed for a second season. Despite both series receiving good reviews, Bergman blamed "the cost structure" ofThe Acolyte even though "we were happy with our performance."[44]
Possibility of a return?[]
Manny Jacinto (pictured in character as "the Stranger") has expressed a great interest in seeingThe Acolyte return.
In January 2025, Luminate's end-of-year analysis for 2024 found thatThe Acolyte was viewed for 2.7 billion minutes on Disney+, ranking second only to the 3 billion of the television seriesPercy Jackson and the Olympians on the streaming platform.[60] Jecki Lon actressDafne Keen admitted toScreen Rant that the cancellation had been, at least as she saw things, an "overwhelming" matter for all involved. However, Keen also stated she was proud of her work on the series and proud of how Stenberg had handled the cancellation.[61] SenatorWorus Rayencourt actorDavid Harewood expressed a desire to return to the series inJuly2025 via his Bluesky account and asked fans to continue pushing for the show's return if they wanted another season.[62]
The Stranger actor Manny Jacinto has also been vocal about his hope to return toThe Acolyte. In a late 2024 panel, upon being asked what one of his life goals was, Jacinto stated that he wanted there to be a second season ofThe Acolyte and hoped to appear within it.[63] InAugust 2025, Jacinto stated that he would love to return to the character of the Stranger, remarking that, "if the fans want it, I'm down and ready to go" while also praising the team behindThe Acolyte and the greaterStar Wars franchise.[64]
Adaptations and tie-in media[]
The Acolyte: Wayseeker, a 2025 novel by Justina Ireland
At San Diego Comic Con in July 2024, it was revealed that two tie-in novels ofThe Acolyte would be published in 2025—Justina Ireland'sThe Acolyte: Wayseeker focusing on Masters Indara and Vernestra Rwoh, andTessa Gratton'sThe Acolyte: The Crystal Crown focusing on Padawans Jecki Lon and Yord Fondar.[65] While initially scheduled forJanuary 7, 2025,[66] and later delayed, avisual guide byPablo Hidalgo for the series was published onJune 17, 2025, byDorling Kindersley.[67] Hidalgo was working on the guide as late asDecember 2024, revealing for those interested in the publishing timeline that his last contribution to the book wasDecember 22 of that year at 10:48 AM.[68]
Novels and comics ofThe High Republic have been marketed in relation to the series, with text such as "a century beforeThe Acolyte" featuring on their covers.[69]BioWare'svideo gameStar Wars: The Old Republic, which has been running since2011 as part of theStar Wars Legends continuity, was updated with player armor in the style of "The Stranger" and an appearance option in the style of Osha and Mae Aniseya[70] in collaboration withLucasfilm Games.[71] FollowingThe Acolyte's season finale, the officialStar Wars books Twitter page urged fans interested in the High Republic Era thanks to the series to check out the time period's multi-media project, beginning with authorCharles Soule's novelThe High Republic: Light of the Jedi.[72]
Media[]
Episodes[]
| Episode | Image | Title | Original Airdate | Prod. # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | "Lost / Found" | 1-1[1] | |
| 2 |  | "Revenge / Justice" | 1-2[1] | |
| 3 |  | "Destiny" | June 11, 2024[73] | 1-3[1] |
| 4 |  | "Day" | June 18, 2024[73] | 1-4[1] |
| 5 |  | "Night" | June 25, 2024[73] | 1-5[1] |
| 6 |  | "Teach / Corrupt" | July 2, 2024[74] | 1-6[1] |
| 7 |  | "Choice" | July 9, 2024[74] | 1-7[1] |
| 8 |  | "The Acolyte" | July 16, 2024[75] | 1-8[1] |
Poster gallery[]
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
External links[]
The Acolyte onIndustrial Light & Magic'sofficial website(backup link)- Rayne Roberts onLucasfilm'sofficial website(backup link)
- The Acolyte onStarWars.com(backup link)
- The Acolyte onWikipedia
- Star Wars 스타워즈 (@starwarskorea) onInstagram (post)(backup link)
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